People’s beliefs about their abilities have a profound effect on those abilities. Ability is not a fixed property; there is a huge variability in how you perform. People who have a sense of self efficacy bounce back from failures; they approach things in terms of how to handle them rather than worrying about what can go wrong.

- Albert Bandura

It’s not an easy record, and it’s complex. “[Get on Your] Boots” is one of those things where our audience is kind of divided on whether they think it’s a good or bad thing. I’m very pleased with it. I think it shakes it up a bit, and we need to do that. We’ve had two albums — “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” and “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb” — and they were very U2 as U2. This album is a lot more experimental.
-Bono

The holy grail is to spend less time making the picture than it takes people to look at it.
- Banksy

– Albert Einstein

Tonight, I saw history. Barack Obama won the Presidential election. What a great night! G made hors devours and the three of us gathered in front of the TV to bask in it’s warmth and glow. In a strange way, as we watched a 50 something inch TV, it felt remarkably like the sixties. There was a feeling in the air that we were part of something. We took part in the process, and this time, the good guy won! It was cool. We let Kaiya say up but she didn’t last too long. Still real cute hearing her say Barack Obama though.

There were a few key moments that I will always remember:

1. All the networks trying to out do each other. CNN winning with the hologram spectacle.
2. Tom Brokaw.
3. G leaving the room and the announcement being made at 8:05 and me yelling for her to get downstairs.
4. All the people in Chicago.
5. All the people all over the nation. Black and white. Lots of crying and celebrating. It was refreshing to see.
6. Jesse Jackson in the crowd crying. Was he crying because a few months back he said he wanted to “castrate” the most popular black man in America since MLK?
7. How calm Barack seemed in his speech. It made me feel calm too.
8. Frustrated that most African American media or media guest seems to emphasize Barack’s victory as a win for African Americans first and foremost before a win for all of America.
9. Most except for David Paterson who was absolutely brilliant in his commentary of the events. How  informative and gracious he was.

I’m glad it went down like this. We, as Americans, deserve it. Now please God, watch over him.

And us.

The following is the closing of Barack’s victory speech from Chicago. The whole speech can be seen and read here.

This is our chance to answer that call.  This is our moment.  This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can.  Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

- Bono on U2′s Upcoming 2009 Album